Newsroom

Features

Commitment to United Nations Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child movement

The remedy appears so simple: a cup of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS) solution and zinc supplement. Yet in India alone, approximately 200,000 children under the age of five die of dehydration caused by severe diarrhea each year — and 90 percent of those could be saved with oral rehydration and zinc. That’s why Infosys is stepping in and making a commitment to the UN Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child Movement to fight this global problem.

Most people know Infosys as the global leader in consulting and technology in the corporate world. But the company’s innovative spirit extends to the non-profit sector as well. In fact, Infosys will work with the MDG Health Alliance, the United Nations Foundation, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative as an Innovation Partner for the India Public-Private Partnership to End Child Diarrheal Deaths.

The partnership has the potential to make a significant impact and reduce child deaths caused by diarrhea in India, according to Subu Goparaju, the Senior Vice President and Head-Infosys Labs. “Technology can play a significant role in this initiative,” he says. “Infosys is committed to this cause and will provide a platform to drive innovation to develop affordable healthcare solutions.”

Infosys Labs, the research and innovation arm of Infosys, is focusing on the India Public-Private Partnership to End Child Diarrheal Deaths initiative to tackle vital health challenges facing millions of families. The first step is for Infosys Labs to establish the “Innovation Co-creation Lab”. The lab will provide a platform to drive joint innovation to develop affordable healthcare solutions for this initiative.

Ray Chambers, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Malaria and Chair, MDG Health Alliance, said, "We will not achieve our global goals for maternal and child health without making significant progress in India, where the greatest numbers of women die in childbirth and the greatest numbers of children die before reaching their fifth birthday."

He further added, "We specifically welcome the commitment of Infosys to help us win the fight against diarrhea, one of the leading killers of children in India and we look forward to harnessing the extraordinary skills, talent and creativity of one of India's leading companies to help us scale up the interventions (oral rehydration products and zinc) that could prevent 90% of child diarrheal deaths."